The brother of British TV presenter Phillip Schofield has been found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a period of three years.
Timothy Schofield was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child, following a trial at Exeter Crown Court.
The jury found him guilty on all counts with a majority of 10-2 after more than five-and-a-half hours of deliberation.
The 54-year-old, a civilian police worker from Bath, told the jury while giving evidence that he had watched pornography with the boy, whom he insisted was over the age of 16 at that time, and they had masturbated while sitting apart, but denied performing sexual acts on the teenager.
Jurors heard previously the defendant told his elder brother Phillip in September 2021 that he and the complainant had watched pornography together.
In a statement released by his lawyer after the guilty verdict, Phillip Schofield said: "My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. I hope that their privacy will now be respected.
"If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family.
"These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts. As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother."
The boy, who alleged the offending started when he was 13, told the jury he felt "emotionally blackmailed" by Schofield and "forced" to participate in sexual activity.
Schofield denied the charges but was convicted of three counts of causing a child to watch sexual activity, three of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, three of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual activity with a child.
Judge Mrs Justice Cutts remanded him in custody ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on May 19.
Source: Press Association
